Suction sweeper



J, E). Ki E Y NGV. 12, 1940.

SWEET'ER SUCTON Fi led Dec 27 1953 .'5 Sheets-Sheet l Sebi 60 Ja/Tn Arirby BY M Wa() ATTOR INVENTOR NOV. 12, 1940. L B KIRBY 2,221,745

SUCTION SWEEPER Filed Deo. 27, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fi?. H

INVENTOR James B. Kirby ATTOR NOV. 12, 1940. J' B* KIRY 2,221,745

SUCTION SWEEPER Filed Dec. 27, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 12,1940 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE i Claim.

This invention relates to suction or vacuum cleaners and it is primarilydirectedl to certain reiinements by means of which a quieter, moreefficient, less expensive and better looking device can be produced.

One of the objects of the invention is that of forming a cleaner casingfrom a plurality of sections which include an exposed exteriorlyfinished shell to which the other sections of the casing are secured toform the compartments and passageways ci?` the cleaner casing and inwhich the parts associated with the shell are generally concealed by theshell as also are the means required for the securement of such parts tothe shell.

Another object of the invention `is that of providing a cleaner casingin which the motor, fan, fan casing and certain of the wall`-parts ofthe suction chamber are separately attached beneath an outer shell toform the completed cleaner casing.

Another object of this invention is that of providing in an electricallydriven suction sweeper employing a power driven brush, a form of casingconstruction comprising an exposed exteriorly iinished shell beneathwhich all of the operating elements of the sweeper are located.

Another object of the invention is that oi.' providing in a suctioncleaner, a casing construction having provision for receiving andstoring acmulated dust and litter, such casing having provisions forreadily removing such dust and litter.

Another object of the invention relates to the provision of a suctionA-cleaner casing construction in which the various sections of thecasing may be readily formed from die castings.

Another object of the invention relates to the provision of certainelectrical insulating and sound deadening provisions by means of whichthe device is rendered quiet in operation and the hazard of electricalshocks by reason of short circuits in the motor is greatly lessened.

Another object of the invention is that of utilizing the suctionpressure at the mouth of the cleaner for drawing a current of coolingair over the motor whereby the cooling of the motor is effected withoutsacrifice to the eiilciency of the cleaner.

Another object of the invention is that of providing means forpreventing the casing oi' the cleaner from marring and scratchingarticles oi furniture and the like which means also serve to enhance theappearance of the machine.

A further object of the invention is that oi providing a suction cleaneror sweeper in which the various elements of the device can be readilyand inexpensively formed and assembled by modern factory productionmethods.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, ar- 5 rangement and combination of parts,hereinafter illustrated and described in some of its embodiments in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaim.

Referring to the drawings, 10

Figure 1 is a central sectional view of a suction sweeper illustratingone embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the suction sweeper shown in section inFigure 1. In Figures 1 and 2 15 the sweeper is shown with the handleremoved.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the sweeper casing taken online 3 3, Figure 2, with the bail of the sweeper handle in place andshowing the details of the handle adjustment of the 20 device.

Figure `i is a sectional Figure 2, showing the strips provided on theshell.

Figure 5 is a rear sectional view taken on line 5 5, Figure 1, showingsome of the details of the rear part of the cleaner casing.

Figure 6 is a reduced sectional view taken on line 6 6, Figure 1,showing some of the details 30 of certain of the air ports andpassageways provided for the cooling of the cleaner motor.

Figure .7 is an enlarged detail sectional View of the motor supportcorresponding in section to the showing in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the motor support taken on line 8 8,Figure '7.

Figure `9 is a reduced plan view showing the underside of the casingshell.

Figure 10 is a reduced plan view of the bottom 40 side of the removablecover plate by means of which access is had to the brush and brushdriving belt.

Figure l1 is a reduced plan view of the bottom side of the plate whichforms the bottom 45 wall of the fan case.

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken on line i2 l2, Figure 13 of a modiedform of suction sweeper in which a traction drivenfmotor is used todrive the cleaner fan and brush; and 50 Figure 13 is a modified planview of the device shown in Figure 12 taken on line |3 |3, Figure 12.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the casing of the suctionsweeper or vacuum 55 view taken on line 4 4, details of the bumper toppart of the casing cleaner shown in these figures comprises an outershell indicated generally by the numeral I, preferably integrally formedand having a raised upper part I* which provides in part the walls of ahousing for the driving motor of the device. The forward part 2 of thecasing shell forms in part the walls of the brush chamber and suctionnozzle of the cleaner. At the upper part of the forward side of themotor housing there is provided an opening in which is received aremovable porting wheels and some of the other elements of -the device.Interlorly of the casing at the upper rearward portion thereof there isprovided a depending wall 6 which forms in part the housing for thecleaner motor. At the bottom of the motor housing there is a horizontalwall member 1 having a depending vertical wall part 6 which forms theperipheral part of the fan case.

The peripheral wall 6 of the fan case is of snail-shaped contour and atone side this wall is extended to form a tangential outlet conduit I6 asis customary in suction pumps of the impeller type. The lower edge ofthe depending wall part 6 of the casing shell is of arcuate or curvedoutline and this part of the wall 6 contacts with an upstanding wallpart II of complementary marginal outline formed integrally with the fancase wall member 1. A gasket 9 is interposed between the contacting wallparts just described to insure an air tight seal at their jointure.

A generally flat horizontal plate I2 having a central aperture I3 issecured against the bottom of the peripheral fan case wall 6 and to thecasing shell by means of a plurality of screws I4 which are received inthreaded bosses I4* of the shell. The upper fan case section isinitially secured to the plate I2 by means of screws I4*i which arereceived in drilled and threaded bosses I4 provided by the peripheralfan case wall 8. It should be here noted that the plate I2 extendsbeyond the margin of the fan case peripheral side wall 6 and that itcooperates with certain of the aforesaid shell and wall parts tocomplete the motor housing.

The cleaner motor comprises a stator I6, stator windings I5 and anarmature I6 which is carried by a shaft I1 journaled at its upper end ina.

suitable bearing I6 carried by the upper stator frame part 20. In thelower part 2l of the stator frame as is best shown in Figure '7. thereis carried an anti-friction or ball bearing 22 for the lower end of thearmature shaftl I1. Suitable packing washers 23 and 24 are providedabove and below the ball bearing 22. The lower part 2l of the statorframe rests upon the upper part of one of a pair of yielding exiblewashers 25 which may be conveniently formed from a relatively softrubber.

n The Washers 25 contact with the opposite sides of the marginal part ofthe fan case wall 1 forming at this point an opening for the armatureshaft I1. As best shown in Figure 8, this part of the fan case wall hasopposite annular anges which are iluted as at 26 and these utings arearranged to be received in corresponding notches 21 which are formed inthe washers 25. The motor frame part 2l is also provided with ilutings26 which are received in similarly formed notches I0 provided at theinner margin of the washers 25. The fiutings 26 and 26 and thecorresponding notches 21 and 36 cooperate to prevent the frame of themotor from turning during the operation of the motor.

The electric motor and its supporting washers 25 are secured to the fancase Wall 1 by means of a plate Il which is pressed against the lowerwasher 25 and is securely held thereat and in engagement with the motorframe part 2I by any suitable means such as thescrews 32. In assemblingthe power unit of the cleaner the motor is first secured to the plate 1as described. An impeller fan 33 is then screwed onto the armature shaftI1. The plate I2 is then secured to the fan -case wall 6 by the screwsI4b and the assembled unit can then be secured to the casing shell bythe screws I4.

The fan 33 is provided with an axially extending shaft 54, suitablygrooved to provide a pulley for a brush driving belt 35 which isprovided for driving a brush 36 carried in a combined suction nozzle andbrush chamber formed in part by the forward end of the casing shell. Thebrush 36 is rotatably supported at its ends by suitable bearings 31carried by the casing shell. The combined brush chamber and suctionnozzle is formed by the shell wall part 2, a depending wall part 38integral with the shell, the forward upturned end part 40 of the plateI2, and the wall part 46 of a cover plate 42 which is pivoted at 42 tothe fan case wall I2.

The plate 42 is of dished or hollowed-out construction and it cooperateswith the plate I2 to denne a suction passageway between the fan caseinlet Il and the working mouth 4I of the combined brush chamber andsuction nozzle. The forward end of the cover plate 42 is of a peculiarconstruction in that it is provided with a rear wall part 41 which isspaced from and parallel to the wall 46 and which defines therewith achannel 45 communicating at its ends with the interior of the motorhousing by way of passageways 45l one of which is formed at each side cfthe cover plate by upward extensions of the wall parts 46 and 41. Themotor housing, as previously described, communicates with thesurrounding atmosphere by way of the opening in which is fitted theguard-member 3.

The openings and passageways just referred to are provided to insure theproper cooling of the electric motor. During the operation of the motorand the suction fan, a large part of the air drawn into the suctionnozzle from under the rear lip 46 of the suction mouth is supplied byway of the opening provided in front of the lamp 4 which is protected bythe removable guard member l. The air entering the cleaner casing atthis point circulates over and around the motor and then passes by wayof the end passageways and the channel defined by the wall parts 46 and41 to the brush chamber of the cleaner and in so doing this airfunctions in the cleaning operation in much the samemanner as if it hadbeen drawn directly from outside the working mouth.

By reason of this mode of operation a now of cooling air is providedaround the motor which does not require the useless expenditure ofenergy as would be required if a separate cooling fan were provided forthe motor or if the motor chamber were connected directly to the inletor low pressure side of the fan chamber, both of which methods ofcooling electric motors have been extensively used in devices of thissort.

The cleaner is supported for movement by means of front casters 48--48and rear casters 5050. These casters are journaled respectively forrotation on suitable bearing pins 5l-5I and 52--52 which are rigid withthe cleaner casling. A suitable dust filter 53 is clamped about adischarge outlet opening 54 of the cleaner casing.

The opening 54 to which the cleaner'bag is secured communicates with thefan case discharge conduit I0 which is spaced a considerable distanceabove the bottom of a dust and litter storage compartment 55 defined bythis part of the cleaner casing. The shell of the cleaner casing has agenerally rectangular opening at the bottom of its rear portion and acorrespondingly shaped wall member is secured by screws 56a about thisopening.

The upper edge of the wall member 56 is presented to the casing shelland to the rear part of the plate i2. A gasket 56b is interposed betweenthe aforesaid parts where they come together to provide an air tightseal at this place. The wall member 56 defines the lower side wallportion of the dust and litter compartment 55. The

bottom of the litter compartment is closed by means of a slide 51 whichis received in suitable grooves 59 formed in the wall part 56 which atits inner rear side is provided with a sealing strip 58 contacting withthe slide 51. A suitable handle 60 is provided for the manipulation ofthe slide 51.

At the forward top part of the shell and to each side thereof as shownin Figures 2, 4, and 9, there is provided a bumper 6| which may be inthe form of a rubber strip longitudinally grooved as at 62 so that itmay be readily and removably inserted in suitable slots 63 which areformed in th'e shell of the casing. A third bumper strip 64 is removablysecured around the lower front and forward side wall portions of thecasing shell.

The bumper strip 64 is secured to the shell in much the same manner asare the bumper strips 6l. This is accomplished in the case of the strip64 by providing slots 65- at spaced intervals around the part of theshell covered by the bumper strip 64 and by forming the bumper strip byprojecting flanged offset parts 66, the edges of which are of slightlylarger size than the slots 65 and by reason of their yielding characterthe flanged parts 66 of the strip can be forced through the slots 65 andthey will thus serve to hold the bumper strip 64 in place.

The cleaner lamp 4 is connected by means of a suitable socket 61 inseries with the motor circuit so that during the operation of the motorthe lamp will be in operation. The lamp socket is secured to the upperframe part 20 of the motor by means of a bracket 68. The frame part 20terminates in an upper, annularly reduced section whereby space isprovided for the lamp above the motor without changing the symmetricalcontour oi the casing shell for its accommodation.

The suction sweeper is manipulated by means of a handle (not shown), thelower end of which is provided with a bail 'l0 pivoted at "H in suitablenotches 12 formed in the side of the casing shell. The lower ends of thebail are provided with hardened washers 13 having notches 14 whichcooperate with a roller 'l5 which is pressed against the'washerf bymeans of a spring 'i6 which is secured by any suitable means such as thescrews 'il to the shell of the casing'.

The cleaner handle is held in its vertical position by the roller I5contacting with the forward notch in the washer 'I3 and at anintermediate lower position of the handle, the engagement between theroller and the other notch permit the forward end of the cleaner to beraised a slight amount as is sometimes necessary in advancing thecleaner over the edge or fringe of a rug or i over other slightobstacles.

The modied form of suction sweeper shown in Figures 13 and 14 refers toa traction driven type of suction sweeper in which the rear wheels ofthe sweeper are connected to a fan 83 by suitable speed increasinggearing and a one-way clutch (not shown) which mechanisms may be of thetype disclosed in my prior Patents 1,362,011, 1,421,957, and 1,421,958,showing gearing whereby the fan of the cleaner can be driven at highspeed through a relatively slow motion of the traction wheels 80 and inWhich the fan will freely rotate by reason of the provision of asuitable clutch, as shown in my earliest mentioned patent, at such timeswhen the cleaner is stopped or its movement reversed after a forwardmovement thereof.

Speed increasing gears driven by the traction wheels 80 are shown at 8|,82, the latter being directly connected to the impeller fan 83. Theaforesaid gears are located in a suitable housing 84` which is locatedat the rearward underside portion of the cleaner casing shell part 85which forms the major exposed part of the cleaner casing. This part ofthe casing may be conveniently formed from a die casting as this type ofcasting readily lends itself to the polishing and finishing operationsrequired for the exterior parts of a cleaner casing.

The forward end of the shell 85 has a downturned part 86 which forms theforward wall of a chamber in which a rotatable brush 8l is housed. Thisbrush is connected by means yof a belt 88 to a hollow pulley 89 having apinion gear 92 xed thereto at one side thereof. A stub shaft 90 carriedby an arm 9|a is provided to support ball bearings 9i over which thehollow pulley is tted and by means of which it is rotatably supported.The pinion gear meshes with an enlarged driving gear 93 which is fixedon the axle 80a of the traction wheels 80. A two-piece belt guard 88a issecured at its rear end to a drilled and threaded boss 89a of the casingshell by means of the screw 891. At its forward end the belt guardcontacts with the casing shell 85 and the nozzle Wall 96 which has anoffset part 9|)a surrounding the lower end part of the belt guard.

The axle 80 and the traction wheels 8D are xed with respect to eachother so that the axle turns when the wheels 80 are rotated. Suitablesupporting wheels SIb are provided for the forward end of the cleanerand a bumper strip 92a similar to that shown in connection with thecleaner earlier described is provided for preventing the cleaner casingfrom marring articles of furniture and the like.

The brush 8l is mounted to rotate in ball bearings 93a, provided atyeach end of the brush. Beneath the casing shell 85 there is secured awall member 94 which forms in part one of the side walls of a fan casefor the fan 83 and in this member there is provided an aperture 95 whichconstitutes an inlet of the fan case.

The forward part 96 of the wall member 94 forms the rear wall of thecombined brush chamber and suction nozzle. The lower edge of the wallpart 96 forms the rear edge of the suction mouth, where as the loweredge of the shell part forms the front and side edges of the suctionmouth. A suitable handle 91 having a ball 88 is pivoted at |00-I00 tothe sides of the shell 85 of the casing. This handle is provided formanipulating the cleaner and for supporting the upper end of a dust bag|04.

The housing 84 for the gearing motor of this cleaner 1s provided withwall parts |0| and |02 which cooperate with the wall 94 and a part ofthe shell 85 to form the casing for the fan 83. The shell 85 is providedwith a rear wall part |03 which has an aperture at its upper end. Thisaperture constitutes the outlet of the fan case and it communicates withthe dust-bag |04 which is secured to an annular collar |05 pivoted at|06 to the rearward part of the casing shell 85. A locking screw |01 isprovided to hold the collar |05 in contact with the wall part |03.

The discharge outlet of the fan case is located a considerable distanceabove the bottommost edge of the inlet end of the bag, so that storagespace is provided in the bottom of the bag for the reception ofaccumulated dust and litter. After rst removing the securement screw|01, the collar |05 can be swung away from the casing wall |03,whereupon the accumulated litter in the bag can be discharged onto apiece of paper with the cleaner in operative position on the floor.

The lever |08 is provided for adjusting the elevation ofthe forwardlylocated casing supporting wheels 9|. These wheels are carried on shafts||2||2, of cranks ||0||0, fixed to the shaft |I| to which the member |08is also fixedly secured. The lever |08 has a lug I3 which engages withsuitable notches formed in slot ||3Il of the cleaner casing Wall wherebythe lever |08 and the wheels 9|b may be heid in various adjustedpositions.

The shell of the casing of both forms of the cleaner shown herein formsthe major part of the casing and in the case of the shell integral wallparts are provided to define in part at least the nozzle A, the forwardsupporting wheel `compartments B, the motor cooling air passageways C.the suction chamber D, the motor chamber E, the dust compartment F andthe rear supporting wheel compartments G. The cover plate 42 isdisplaceably secured to the bottom of the cleaner by means of a pivotalpin 42l and the removable screws 42h. The upper end of the bag 53 issupported in the same manner as is the bag |04.

Furthermore it is to be understood that the particular forms ofapparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forthare presented for purposes of explanation and that various modificationsof said apparatus and procedure can be made without departure from thisinvention as described in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

In a motor driven portable suction cleaner for cleaning floor coveringsand the like, a casing structure comprising normally concealed wallmeans and a hollow shell open at its underside and having provisions forreceiving said wall means, said wall means forming normally unexposedoppositely located spaced walls of a dust box, a fan case and acommunicating suction chamber in said shell, means for securing saidwall means to said shell, said wall means defining in part at least thelips of a downwardly presented working mouth communicating with thesuction chamber, said shell having a front wall, a top wall and sidewalls forming exposed portions oi' the casing and constituting in partat least the walls of the suction chamber, dust box and a motor chamber,said wall means including an element forming in part at least the sidesof said fan case and said dust box, a fan in the fan case of saidcasing, a brush operably carried in the working mouth of said casing,means including a motor in said motor chamber for driving said fan andbrush, and oor engaging wheels for supporting said casing.

JAMES B. KIRBY.

